Given last week's Executive Order (EO) barring entry to the United States of individuals from seven different countries (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia), there has, understandably, been much concern regarding its impact on YFU participants and programs. Rest assured no YFU student already in the United States is directly affected by this EO. It is, however, a fluid situation we will monitor closely with The Alliance for International Exchange, the advocacy voice for our exchange community and industry partners.

Today, we ask each of you through your empathy and understanding to show the world what it means to be a member of this community. YFU was founded in 1951 to offer the world a new beginning after the devastation of World War II. Cultural and person to person exchange programs like ours are as vital now as ever. Together, we can help to alter perceptions one person at a time, by providing the ultimate reality check to a worldview based on stereotypes. The opportunity for interpersonal diplomacy that young people and their host families hold in their hands can change the perception of classmates, of communities, and, ultimately, of entire countries.

Thank you for all you do in supporting YFU’s mission of intercultural exchange.